How to play guitar for singers

I know what you’re thinking, you’re like, “German isn’t playing the guitar the same for singers as with other instrumentalists?” 

Well yes in technicality it is but when you’re singing and playing the guitar, there are a couple of things that you should be practicing in order to maximize your efforts. 

Let’s get into it. 

So the reality is that if you want to sing and play guitar at the same time….

You really don’t need too many advanced techniques if you want to play the guitar and sing. 

You start needing those techniques when you are playing like the electric guitar and what not. 

But in all reality, if you want to sing and play the guitar and make it sound good, you really only need an acoustic. 

I know what you’re thinking, you’re probably saying, “But German, the electric guitar is so cool and I want to play the electric guitar and blah, blah, blah.” 

Well first off the acoustic guitar is better than what you have right now which is nothing, second, many songwriters including electric guitarists, use an acoustic guitar to write the song first and then transition into the electric guitar. 

The reason is because if you can make it sound good on an acoustic guitar, you can make it sound good on the electric guitar, it’s just the rule of thumb that us musicians have with ourselves. 

So with that being said, let me teach you a crash course on how to play guitar as a singer

So playing the guitar can be a little difficult when you first start out. 

The first thing that you should be aware of is that the guitar does cause pain. 

Like it causes physical pain to the hands and fingers because you are contorting you fingers into odd shapes and patterns and in all reality, you have to press with way more force than what you’re used to pressing at any point in your life. 

But if you can get through that pain and can play through the pain, then you have an awesome reward awaiting for you. 

You will develop calluses on your hands and fingers which will make your guitar ability easier to play. 

Next, as a singer/guitar player there are a couple of elements that you should be focusing on. 

So first, as a singer you don’t really need to learn how to play solos because your voice is impactful enough. 

You can learn how to solo later on in your musician career but it’s not necessary when you first start out.

When you first start out singing and playing the guitar, your primary focus should be to play rhythm guitar. 

Why? 

Because for 2 reasons. 

For one, the frontman of the band, which is essentially what you’re doing, almost always plays rhythm guitar.

Second, if you play rhythm guitar, you can learn to play shows by yourself therefore, you wouldn’t need anyone else to go far in your music career. 

Playing rhythm guitar and singing at the same time is so cool and when you get into coffee shops and start singing and playing guitar, you will sweep people off of their feet and you will do some really cool things especially if you start writing your own songs. 

German, I want to learn this acoustic rhythm guitar but I don’t have a guitar, and it’s expensive, where can I get one?

I’m glad you asked. 

So guitars can be expensive. 

However, there is a saying that I’ve heard go around. 

And it doesn’t apply to music, but has a great lesson in music. 

And it’s, “You do the best that you can, with what you have, with where you are.” 

So if all you have is 100 dollars to go buy an acoustic guitar, go to a Pawn shop and buy a cheap guitar. 

Do not go and try and buy the 1,000 dollar Taylor guitar that they sell at Guitar Center. Or anything like that. 

Me personally, my family didn’t have much money growing up. 

And you know what was the first guitar that I ever had? 

It was a Wal-Mart guitar. 

Yes it was a real guitar. 

But it was a cheap Wal-Mart guitar. 

IT cost 60 dollars with the Amp. 

And would you know that I headlined my first big concert with that guitar. 

Yes I will always remember that guitar. 

And I have heard similar stories from other great guitarists. 

Slash started on a guitar that was passed down to him from one of his friends. 

It had one broken string and he knew nothing about it. 

He eventually Received a Grammy Award as the Lead guitarist for Guns’ n Roses. 

But you will see stories like that all over the world of people who didn’t have money and they made it work. 

The most famous example is Eddie Van Halen. 

Eddie Van Halen growing up couldn’t afford a guitar, so over the years, he built his own guitar from different pieces of hardware that would eventually make the guitar, Frankenstein, its a super popular guitar that everyone has seen. 

But German, won’t I still need to take time and practice the guitar for a long time to get the results that I need? 

Not necessarily, 

I mean don’t get me wrong, in order to get mad guitar skills, you need to dedicate mad amount of hours into it, that much is true. 

But in all reality, rhythm guitar is not that hard to develop, just takes a little bit of persistence for like a year and when that year is done, then you can play your own shows while singing. 

I mean I’ll put it in perspective. 

I am a Christian musician but I used to not be a Christian musician so this is why I’m telling you this. 

The song Last Resort by Papa Roach, is a very difficult song to play. 

And I started guitar December of the 6th Grade, by December of the 7th grade, I could almost play the entire Last Resort by Papa Roach. 

Don’t get me wrong, I like No lifed the guitar. 

Like I came home from school and I would play guitar until it was like 10 at night. 

And back then I would get home from school at like 2:45. 

So yeah. 

But that’s a difficult concept to learn. 

Imagine something basic like rhythm guitar. 

If you are a singer and want to use the guitar to support your gigs at cafes, you can do it, just take a little slice of humble pie, admit that this is going to take some work, and go through the grind. 

Broadcast

I sure hope that I have been an inspiration and a hope to you all. Please remember to pray, read your bible, go to church, and love God above all else. Like, comment, share, subscribe, and I will see you all next time.

If you want to go to heaven, then believe in Jesus and you will go to heaven. (John 3:16)

Thank you all for listening in on this blog post. 

German Gonzalez, signing out!